ROME, May 15, 2018 (News Wires) - Italy coach Roberto Mancini says he will talk to long-excluded striker Mario Balotelli about a possible return to the national team. Speaking at his presentation in Florence on Tuesday, Mancini says "Mario is an Italian player. We'll definitely talk. He's one of those players we should take a new look at." Balotelli has not played for Italy since the 2014 World Cup, but he featured under Mancini at both Inter Milan and Manchester City. Mancini is replacing Gian Piero Ventura, who was fired in November after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in six decades. Mancini says "amid such a difficult period, I thought this could be the right time (to take the job)."